Will Young likely to replace Finn Allen in New Zealand squad for England ODI series. Image Source: IANS News
Cardiff, Sep 7 : Finn Allen looks set to miss out on selection for New Zealand’s provisional World Cup squad, with Will Young due to open the batting with Devon Conway during their four-match ODI series against England.
New Zealand have struggled with their opening partners since 2019 in ODI cricket after Martin Guptill lost his place negotiating a central contract. Allen has been a regular opener in T20I cricket for New Zealand, opening the batting at last year’s World Cup in Australia, Allen has scored five half-centuries in his 17 ODIs, averaging 31.35.
Allen missed the ODI series in Pakistan while he was with Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL, and Young took his chance, hitting 240 runs in five innings. Young will partner Conway in the first ODI in Cardiff on Friday and with Kane Williamson due to be included when New Zealand name their provisional World Cup squad on Monday, Allen appears likely to miss out.
Tom Latham, who will captain during the England series, said, “Youngy is a quality player. He’s been in the mix for us for a long period and hasn’t had a lot of opportunities but the opportunities [he has had] in recent times, he’s played really well. It’s another great opportunity for him to come in and put some performances on the board.”
Both Allen and Young travel to Bangladesh immediately after the England series, and Latham suggested that Allen will get a chance to force a rethink at some stage.
“We’ve got seven One-day games and a couple of warm-up games leading into that World Cup, but we’re trying to stay where our feet are and focus on these games rather than looking too far ahead,” Latham said.
“It’s obviously great to play England, who are a quality side. We know conditions are going to be slightly different but for us, it’s about trying to play our brand of cricket as best as we possibly can.
“There’s a balance of both, obviously wanting to put your best team out but also understanding that we’ve got a lot of cricket coming up — a lot of games leading up to that World Cup. There will be guys having a little bit of rest every now and again, and coming off the back of four T20s, we want to make sure guys are fresh and ready to go rather than blowing them out, a month out.
“Again, Finn is a quality player. We’ve seen that in the games that he’s played for New Zealand. He’s very destructive at the top of the order and obviously he might get some opportunities throughout this series at some point. Guys will get opportunities through the series which is great for us, to get guys more experience against quality sides, and hopefully, if they are required throughout a World Cup, they’re ready to go,” he concluded.
